Name This Feeling
by thepurpleeyedone
Summary: Bakura is cursed to feel the emotions of anyone who comes within a certain radius of him. When Marik visits his "haunted" estate, she begins to fall in love with Bakura. So Bakura starts to feel the love, too... Female Marik.
1. Bakura Akefia?

**Name This Feeling**

_Author's Note: Stupid title, yeah. Fellow Thiefshipper, Annzy attempted to give me some title ideas, but I finally just stuck with this. *sighs*_

_So here's my super fantastical Thiefshipping story's first chapter! (Thiefshipping, in case you're wondering, is my favorite pairing. Why? Because it's so fun to write. :3) I was just patiently waiting for a good Thiefshipping idea to come along in my mind and BAM! On my recent vacation to the Midwest, it arrived! *happy dance*_

_Enough of this author's note. On with the first chap. P.S. Thanks, Annzy, for the motivation. :3_

Chapter 1

_I can't believe _I _was the one to suggest this, _Marik thought as she crawled behind her older twin brother. The brick steps they climbed felt steeper than necessary, especially when dreading the destination at the top.

As if Melvin heard her internal thoughts, he turned around, walking backwards up the steps, and questioned, "You're not scared, are you?"

_Scared? Try terrified. _"No," Marik denied quickly. She couldn't admit she was scared. After all, _she _had been the one to propose that they should go to the town's haunted mansion. She had a good reason for doing this, don't mistake. That summer afternoon, Melvin had been bored. And when Melvin was bored, bad stuff happened. And when bad stuff happened, Marik got in trouble. So, wanting to avoid future complications, Marik had rapidly suggested that she and Melvin should go visit the wealthy, yet abandoned estate down the street from the twins' home. Why it had been her first thought to blurt out was beyond her. Didn't Melvin mention something about it earlier? Yes, she was sure he did. Some kind of myth… Marik inquired, "What was the legend on this mansion again?"

Melvin reached the top step and turned back toward Marik, locking his dull blue eyes on her dramatically. "This is the legend of the mysterious Bakura Akefia," Melvin narrated, delving into story mode, "Bakura was a normal teenager who was cursed at a young age. His curse entailed that he would feel the emotions of anyone around him. Overwhelmed by this, Bakura secluded himself from all others, taking refuge in this abandoned estate."

"You said 'was'," Marik observed. She raised a skeptical eyebrow, inquiring, "Is he supposed to be a ghost or something?" Not that Marik didn't believe in ghosts- because she did. She was just relatively sure this "Bakura" character wasn't a ghost.

"No one knows," Melvin answered ominously, "The unfortunate people who have come in contact with Bakura have disappeared."

"If that's true, how do people know he's cursed?" Marik continued to interrogate.

"Uhh…" Melvin scratched his head. "… Not sure. But the legend is true! Make no mistake!"

Marik rolled her eyes. "Suuuuure…"

"Well-" Melvin smiled deviously, pushing the front door of the mansion open with an eerie creak, "-Why don't you see for yourself? Lead the way, dear sister."

Marik tried her best to keep her apprehension at a low, undistinguishable hum and shrugged nonchalantly, sauntering through the door. She mumbled just loud enough to be audible, "Who the hell leaves their front door unlocked anyway?"

Melvin breathed down her neck, "Murders."

Marik couldn't help it. She gulped like people did in those cheesy horror films. Her pace didn't slow, though, as she treaded deeper into the mansion's entryway.

It was dark. Not as dark as Marik expected but dark, nonetheless. There were electrical lights every few feet on the light, periwinkle colored walls, which for one reason or another surprised Marik. Weren't haunted houses supposed to only be lit by precariously tall candles? Then again, Marik was only basing the house on her limited amount of spirit knowledge, this of which she had only retained from cliché monster movies Melvin had forced her to watch. The entry was large and airy, giving a pleasant feel to the estate that didn't seem to belong in a mansion that was deemed haunted.

"You sure we're in the right place?" Marik questioned, glancing down the hall that was tiled with a warm, rusty color that felt like it belonged in a lovely country cottage.

"Yep, this is the place," Melvin confirmed. "I see why you'd be confused, though. It doesn't seem like a haunted house, does it?"

Marik shook her head.

Melvin replied darkly, "That's because Bakura wants to lure his victims into a false sense of security."

Instantly after this proposal, the entryway appeared more sinister than before in the reflection of Marik's lavender eyes.

"You going upstairs or not?" Melvin randomly asked, shaking Marik out of her trance.

"Why should I go upstairs?" _I'm perfectly happy down here._

"Because all ghosts and stuff haunt the second floor," Melvin stated as if it was a fact, folding his tan arms.

"Fine. Then I'll go," Marik declared, straining to sound less nervous than she was. She began hiking up the long, marble staircase, Melvin shadowing her. She asked behind her, "So what's this 'Bakura Akefia' supposed to look like?"

"The myth states that he's of average height and stature but as pale as the moon-"

"-Which is probably why people assume he's a ghost," Marik intercepted.

Melvin nodded and resumed, "And his eyes are said to be a murderous, crimson red."

"No one has red eyes, Melvin," Marik dismissed.

"Albinos do!" Melvin disputed.

Marik couldn't argue there. But this kid was supposedly a cursed, albino, teen ghost? That just seemed too unlikely.

Nonetheless, Marik didn't ask any more questions. Not that she has the time to, anyway, because the duo reached the summit of the staircase, presenting a new challenge.

"Left or right?" Melvin questioned, gazing down at each way, the hallways offering a formidable amount of doors.

"How about… you take left, and I'll take right," Marik proposed.

"Sounds like a plan."

The Ishtar twins departed simultaneously in their directions. Well, except-

"Melvin, your other left!"

"Oh, right!"

"No, left."

"Right."

"Left."

"Right."

"Left."

"Right."

"Oh, for the love of Ra, just go the other damn way!"

"Right!"

Marik facepalmed.

Melvin disappeared down the opposite corridor, leaving Marik with the only option of going her way. She gave a sigh of exasperation but did just that.

On the right side of the grand staircase, there were seven different doors. _Now, which one should I pick…? _Marik thought about maybe picking the doors in a specific order but gave up on that and simply decided to pick a door at random. That random door soon revealed itself to lead to the mansion's library. Marik walked slowly into the library, taking it all in. A bookshelf covered each and every wall of the circular room, reaching all the way to the tall ceilings. A polished wood desk sat comfortably in the center of the room, guaranteeing the person sitting at the desk would have a true sense of being surrounded by knowledge.

Wanting to feel this for herself, Marik sat at the head of the desk. She spun the office chair left and then right, lightly laughing as the spinning feeling made her stomach jump.

"Having fun?"

Marik froze, her eyes going wide. It wasn't Melvin's voice. But it couldn't be…

As Marik slowly lifted her head up, two crimson eyes trapped her gaze as the owner of said eyes examined her. The white-haired teen wore an unreadable expression as he leaned against one of the far bookshelves, his pale arms crossed.

"You- you're Bakura Akefia." It was more of a statement than question.

"That I am," the albino confirmed, edging towards Marik ever so slightly as if he was afraid she might bolt at any moment. And why wouldn't she? She was definitely fearful enough to wish she could melt through the floorboards. But before she could take any action whatsoever, Bakura ordered, "Keep spinning."

Marik blinked. "W- what?"

"I said, keep spinning."

"W- why?"

"Because your joy is refreshing. Now, _spin_."

Marik realized that the legend must be true. Bakura felt her joy. Suddenly, she felt a bit violated. Her emotion had been recieved- by someone other than her! Was he feeing the violated emotion she was dwelling on at the moment, too? But these inquiries didn't distract her from reading the acid in Bakura's tone that demanded she _spin. _

"Um… Of course…" Marik trailed off awkwardly, pushing on the floor with her foot and causing the office chair to spin yet another time.

"No, no." Bakura clicked his tongue disapprovingly. "Now you're nervous. What can I do to make you feel joy again?"

"Um…" Marik didn't know. She'd never been asked that question! How was she supposed to answer it? Her tongue felt like it was tied in knots.

"Tell you what," Bakura proposed, "If you go home, tell no one of me, and come back tomorrow, I promise I'll have something really fun for us to do tomorrow."

"W- wha? Really?"

Bakura nodded.

"Okay," Marik found it surprisingly easy to agree to this. She stood up from the office chair, her gaze leveled with that of Bakura's.

"Then, I'll see you tomorrow," Bakura confirmed, walking out of the library room and disappearing down the hallway.

Marik blinked after Bakura. Why had she so readily agreed to meet him the next day? And not just that; the whole thing was bizarre.

She departed from the room herself. She kept her eyes open for Bakura but didn't see him again after that vague vow the two had made. Instead, she only found Melvin waiting for her at the top of the staircase.

"Did you find anything?" Melvin inquired with half a smirk. It was obvious he doubted that she had.

Marik bit her lower lip, recalling that Bakura had sworn her to secrecy.

"Of course not. But I'm returning tomorrow just to be sure."

_Author's Note: Hooray! Now the first chap is out! *happy dance*_

_Pretty please review if you're interested in more!_


	2. Something Fun?

_Author's Note: OF COURSE, when I finally get the chance to update, the internet goes down. D:_

_Ugh, sorry for the wait. Summer school's a bitch. And it makes me swear. Yeah. ^^;_

_I'm not very happy with this chapter. Ever write that one chapter where, every way you try to write it, it just doesn't seem right? Well, this chapter is it. At least it's a decent length… I hope you like it more than I do…_

Chapter 2

_So a random stranger says, 'Come to my house tomorrow and we'll do something fun!' and he just expects me to go? Hasn't he ever heard of stranger danger? That's on the boarder of rapist, stalker crazy… So, why is it that I want to go back so bad?_

In the end, Marik had decided to go. Why, the reason eluded her. She decided to blame plain old curiosity, simply because she couldn't think of anything else to blame. But, if she had thought hard enough, she would have realized that it was something else…

But back to present matters.

Marik kicked a rock on the side of the road as she walked to the estate. The mansion may have been adjacent to her own home, but it was nowhere near close by. Domino City was known as just that- a city. But, unknown to most, it also had a vast forest lining the northern region. And that's where Marik lived.

Well, _technically _she lived _under _the forest, but that was beside the point.

Marik awkwardly rubbed her forearm, mumbling as she continued to hike, "I can't believe I had to lie to Melvin and Ishizu and Odion about where I am going…" Marik had told them she had a school project to do that involved her visiting a friend's house. She couldn't believe they had bought it, being that Marik didn't have any friends. She wasn't very social… But that was other people's problems, not hers.

Finally, the mansion came into view. It looked bigger than before for some reason, probably because she was all alone this time. She didn't have Melvin to depend on (not that he was very dependable in the first place.) But Melvin was still better than nobody… At least she thought.

Marik climbed up the stairs again, reaching the front door again. But this brought a question to her mind:

Should she knock or just go in?

When Marik had thought that it was a haunted mansion with only maybe a ghost or two, it seemed perfectly acceptable to just walk in. But now that she knew someone actually lived there, it just seemed… rude.

So, Marik knocked on the door.

She waited about two minutes, tapping her foot impatiently as she did so. Then it occurred to her that maybe Bakura couldn't hear a simple knock in that huge house. Perhaps he was in a room way back upstairs in that library, casually reading a book. There was no way that he could hear a small tapping from all the way up there.

So, Marik just invited herself in.

She stepped in and hesitantly called out, "Hello? Bakura? Are you here?" _Of course he's here! _a voice inside her sarcastically quipped, _What? Did he just decide to move today or something? _Marik sighed at these thoughts but waited for a reply to her call.

Nobody answered.

Marik decided to go back up to the library and search for Bakura where she saw him last. She entered the library and found that it was unoccupied. Then she investigated the rest of the rooms on the second floor, finding no one.

She then hunted for the albino on the first floor and didn't find him either.

Giving up, Marik went out the back door, finding herself on a patio. She sat down at the edge of it, finding that the sun was just setting. She stared at it blankly, thinking to herself.

_Really, what did I expect? I'm starting to think my mind just made up that I met Bakura Akefia. Maybe it was bored or something and thought it'd be fun to mess with me… What am I talking about? It my mind! Maybe I did meet Bakura, but who cares? He obviously doesn't. So, why should I?_

"Stop being disappointed."

Marik shook her head at the statement, turning around ever so hesitantly to spy Bakura sitting down next to her at the edge of the patio.

"Where the hell have you been? You know it's very impolite to leave someone waiting! Especially when you've made a promise with that someone!"

Bakura groaned, taking his forehead in his palm and wincing with pain.

Marik's anger immediately washed away and guilty spread over her, and she began to interrogate, "Oh my, are you hurt? I never considered that maybe something happened! You're all right, aren't you?"

"Quit- quit doing that!" Bakura managed to stutter, swatting at her to make her back away from him.

Marik moved down a few feet, scared that Bakura might accidently hit her while he was in pain. She recalled his order and inquired, "Quit doing what?"

The pain Bakura was experiencing seemed to subside, and he took a sigh of relief, clarifying, "Changing emotions so rapidly! It's hurting me! And how in the hell do you become angry and then guilty all so fast?"

"Well excuse me for being a teenage girl!" Marik hissed, hands on her hips.

"Ah," Bakura articulated, seeming to understand.

Marik stared at Bakura for a second before asking, "So, you're okay now? Can you not feel my emotions anymore?"

"No, I can," Bakura admitted, "Just not as strongly. You were sitting directly next to me, which made the emotions you were feeling very intense."

"Oh…" Marik thought a moment and then questioned, "What happens when no one is around you?"

Bakura's eyes seemed to click into focus as he stated, "Then I feel nothing."

Marik laughed lightly, making Bakura jump. She insisted, "There's no way you feel _nothing. _Wouldn't that be a feeling all on its own?"

"No. I can assure you; it's not." Bakura looked down towards the horizon, describing, "It's like numbness, cold and cruel."

"Oh." Marik felt stupid for just reciting the same sound over and over. She moved closer towards him, hoping maybe just her presence might cheer him up.

"Ra, damn it!" Bakura cursed, clenching his head again. "How do you keep doing that?"

"I don't know!" Marik exclaimed, shaking her hands in front of her frantically.

"Just stop!" Bakura shouted back just as loud.

And it clicked in Marik's mind. If she was upset that Bakura was in pain, he would be upset as well. It was proven when Bakura yelled back at her. So she just had to be content. Now, how to obtain that feeling…

Marik thought about her mom. Her beautiful mother who would have cared for her forever if not fate stepped in. Her mom with her beautiful smile and warm, calm composure, which seemed to wash away all burdens. Her mom… just her mom.

Bakura's relieved sigh cut through Marik's daydream.

"Thanks," Bakura said plainly, leaning back on his hands, "This feels nice."

"I'm glad you think so," Marik replied in a daze, still lost in memories of her mother.

"May I inquire as to what made you feel this way?" Bakura asked, examining Marik with his dull brown eyes.

"That's… a secret," Marik decided aloud, a content smile resting on her lips.

"I of all people can respect that," Bakura returned cryptically, momentarily seeming to be lost in his own memories.

Marik suddenly cocked her head to the side and declared, "I believe you owe me something fun to do. Am I mistaken?"

"No, no, you are completely correct," Bakura confirmed, standing up. He added, "But only if you promise to stop changing emotions without warning."

"I'll… try," Marik made the not so convincing promise.

Bakura just nodded and motioned her to follow.

-transition-

"So, I can assume you're not a ghost, right?" Marik guessed as she and Bakura walked alongside the road.

"Do I look like a ghost?" Bakura questioned right back.

"Uh…" Marik ran her hand through her blonde hair, admitting, "… Kinda."

"Is it the pale skin and white hair?"

"Well it's certainly not your cryptic charm…"

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"I'd be upset if you didn't."

"And I'd be upset if you were upset."

"And not just because you sympathize with people?"

"Bingo."

Marik smiled to herself. She liked this pointless bantering they had going back and forth. It reminded her of a certain someone whom she had lied to earlier…

"Three paces."

_Damn it._

Every time Marik's emotions began to change, Bakura would feel it and demand she step away "three paces". And even though it had only been about ten minutes, it had happened at least five times.

"So, um, why does it hurt you when my emotions change?" Marik inquired uncertainly.

"That's an explanation for another day," Bakura announced, staring intently down at the ground.

"But I wanna-"

"We're here," Bakura cut her off.

Marik gazed ahead and caught sight of the one thing she was sure was the furthest thing way from _fun._

"Bakura?"

"Yes."

"This is my school."

"Yes."

"I thought you said we were going to do something fun."

"We are."

"But-"

"Just follow me."

Marik pouted but unwillingly followed Bakura towards the school's entrance.

"So, do you have a key or something…?" Marik guessed.

"Key?" Bakura chuckled dryly. "My dear Marik, I don't need a key."

"But then how-"

"Just trust me."

"You just love-"

"Cutting people off? Yeah, I do."

Marik growled. Bakura just sneered.

The duo finally reached the door. Bakura then made an unexpected swerve and reached a far window that had been left slightly ajar. He cracked it open slightly more and slid under it, getting inside.

"Did you know about this open window, or was it a lucky guess?" Marik asked.

"Hmm… Mixture of both? Anyway, com'on," Bakura ordered, motioning inside. Marik sighed but complied, following suit and gaining access inside.

"Well, now we're in my school… Hooray," Marik quipped sardonically, crossing her arms.

"No need to be sarcastic," Bakura admonished, wagging his finger. Yes, it was uncanny how much Bakura reminded her of Melvin. "Now follow me."

"Fine."

She followed Bakura out of the classroom they were currently in and down the hallway. As they hiked down to the long hallway of lockers, Marik noticed that Bakura had begun to shake uncontrollably.

"What's wrong?" Marik asked, lightly touching Bakura's arm.

"Someone- someone is… coming near us… Strong- strong emotion of fear…" Bakura forced out weakly, "… We gotta… hide."

"Leave that to me," Marik assured him, pulling Bakura to the side of the hallway. She dipped her hand to her side and recovered her Millennium Rod from her pants loop.

"You- you have the Millennium Rod?" Bakura questioned her, his eyes showing pain of the emotion he was intercepting but his tone dripping with obvious suspicion.

Marik was surprised Bakura knew what it was but merely shushed him, pushing them more so towards the wall and making them blend in with the shadows.

"Who's- who's there?" It was a security guard. He was evidently the person whose feeling of fear Bakura was seizing. He was shivering in similar matter to Bakura, the flashlight he held swaying back and forth wildly like it had a mind of its own.

Marik motioned Bakura to stay and slid along the wall to get closer to the security guard. Before the man could realize it, Marik jumped in front of him and captured his gaze with the Millennium Item. Immediately, his shaking ceased and his eyes glazed over. Marik order the man, "Go home."

The now mindless drone swerved around and began slowly walking towards the exit.

"So, _that's _what the Millennium Rod does."

Marik jumped, being that she didn't realize Bakura had walked up right behind her. On cue, that made Bakura jump as well.

"We really need to work out a system," Bakura commented on this exchange of surprised emotion.

"What do you mean?" Marik inquired. She gasped as she realized what he was implying. "Do you think we're going to hang out often or something?"

Bakura raised a skeptical eyebrow. "What? Have too many friends to fit me into your schedule?"

Marik's lowered gaze and melancholy feeling was enough of an answer.

"Then, let's do what we came here for," Bakura dismissed the subject.

"I still don't know what that is," Marik huffed childishly.

Bakura gave a small smirk and assured, "This won't just be fun for you. Your school is gonna get a little fun as well."

Marik hummed and decided she was content with this promise. She declared, "Then, lead the way."

_Author's Note: Still not happy… Are you? Hope so._

_Please review._


	3. Something Wrong?

_Author's Note: It's out! After like a month! Yay!_

_Sorry about the wait. ^^; You know, did a little bit of this, little bit of that… Don't kill me! *hides under table*_

But this chapter is pretty long, so I like to think it'll make up for it. Yes? No? Maybe so? You decide. :3

_Read._

Chapter 3

Marik shuffled through the hallways, half asleep as she always was when she was within a hundred yard radius of school. She didn't understand what it was, but the education system seemed to be covered in a veil of sleep powder that made everyone prone to falling asleep right there in the middle of class.

But today was different.

Disaster struck everywhere as teachers and students alike discovered that the school had been internally toyed with, the outside untouched but the inside quite the opposite. Traps and practical jokes had been set up everywhere. Two announcements had already penetrated the halls, warning the "hooligans" to confess their crimes.

Only one "hooligan" was present, though. Bakura didn't go to school. He wouldn't be able to handle the amount of emotion that everyone in the school was feeling all at once- especially on that day. The vibe of the school was torn between fear for repetition of _another_ serious school assembly (which would be the third that year) and ecstatic delight that they had the impish pranks to distract themselves from another normal, tedious day of school.

But Marik didn't feel either of these emotions. If anything, she felt… sad. Melancholy, if you will. Why, she'd never guess.

"Marik!"

Oh, joy, someone was calling over to her as she entered the cafeteria for lunch period. She really didn't want to respond, perhaps pretend she didn't hear them, but she knew the voice and sighed, preparing herself to go and sit with them.

Yugi waved Marik over happily, the little child-sized boy shaking with excitement as he did. Yami, his second half, did the same, but with less enthusiasm, the wave being weak and inept.

"Marik, have you heard about all the stuff going on around school?" Yugi inquired, leaning forward against the lunch table enthusiastically.

"Uh… Yeah." Marik took a seat at the far end of the table, folding her arms and resting her chin on them.

"What's wrong, Marik?" Tea inquired, poking the Egyptian.

"Nothing," Marik mumbled before yawning and burying herself deeper into her arms.

"Tea's right…" Duke also poked Marik. (What was she? Un-poke-able?) "… You don't look so good."

"How can you tell?" Marik challenged, the edge on her voice lost from the transition from the table to friends who were circling her.

"Well-" Tea stood up and wrapped her arms around Marik's waist, pulling her up into a standing position. "-You look pale."

"I never look pale," Marik argued, shaking Tea off of her.

"You do, too," Joey commented. "Maybe you're sick."

"'Ishtar's don't get sick. Ishtar's get mild times of weakness they overpower with strength.'" Marik took her quote directly from someone, though her friends didn't know that.

"Marik-" A pale hand reached out to her. "-Let me feel your forehead…"

It was Ryou, being as helpful and compassionate as ever.

But, as Marik glanced up at the British boy she'd known since kindergarten, something shifted in her.

Marik abruptly stood up, slapping Ryou's hand away from her. She accused stridently, "You look like him!"

Ryou pulled back, astonished. He questioned quietly, "I look like who?"

"Like _him_!" Marik hissed, "You look like _him_!"

Ryou blinked, his wide, brown eyes adjusting to this. "What are you talking about, Marik?"

All Marik could see was Bakura. Her childhood friend- he looked _exactly _like Bakura. Marik didn't know why this made her angry, but it did, nonetheless. Her face was tinted with pink, and her teeth were grinding with rage.

"I think…" Tea took Marik's hand. "… I think Marik's sick. I'm going to take her to the nurse's office. Come on, Marik."

Marik wisely fell silent as Tea guided her out of the cafeteria, glancing back at Ryou whose expression seemed close to heartbroken. Suddenly what she had said washed over her all in one graceful stroke, and her face turned bright red. As the girls disappeared out the doors, Marik mouthed, "Sorry" to Ryou, but she was sure he hated her now. Oh, how could this day get any worse?

-transition-

It got worse.

"It appears you do have a fever, Miss Ishtar," the nurse reported, "I'm afraid you'll have to go home."

Marik bit her lower lip. _I can't. I can't go home. _She swallowed and stood up, ready to lie her way out of this.

"Why don't you call your parents and have them come pick you up?" the woman suggested, scribbling some nonsense down on a clipboard.

"That's not necessary. I'm-" Marik was going to say that she was fine, but that'd mean she'd have to face Ryou again during her afternoon classes. And she just couldn't do that. "- Going to walk home. My house is just a few blocks away." It was a lie; where she lived was all the way across town.

"Very well," the nurse agreed. If it had been any other student, she would have pressured them into calling their parents, but Marik was exceptionally smart and had never received a bad mark in her life. So, the woman let her go.

"Thanks," Marik mumbled, walking out of the nurse's office. The office ladies gave her a confused look as she walked out, but Marik forged no explanations for their curiosity. _Let them wonder. Let them gossip. I'm sure by tomorrow the entire school will have heard something of my coming here, and it'll be even worse than it actually is just to indulge the school in _something _out of the norm. _

Marik growled lightly to herself as she began walking down the street. But she didn't get ten feet away from the school before her name pierced the crisp air.

"Mariiiiiiiiiik!"

_Damn it. _

"Where are you going?"

_At least he didn't draw that out…_

Marik spun around and answered with a light but obviously fake smile, "Out."

Melvin finally stopped in front of her, his expression inquisitive. He questioned angrily which threw Marik off, "What the hell? You know Ishizu-"

"Yes, yes, _Ishizu_," Marik snapped. She may have been surprised at this, but all feeling except annoyance had vanished into the shadows at her sister's name. "She won't know. I'll just hang around downtown and somehow hitch a ride home. It'll be okay."

Melvin gave her a hard look, to which Marik gave a weak smile. "I hate you," he stated. "I hate you for always getting your stupid way."

Marik's smile quickly morphed into an evil smirk. She gibed him with a touchy subject: "I do, don't I? Well, if it's such a big concern to you, why don't _you _tell Ishizu about it? I'm sure she won't mind-"

"Mention that _one more time _and your smile will be halfway across the road." He wasn't kidding. The twins were known for having rough fights.

Marik's smirk only grew and she turned to take her leave, mumbling, "Later then." She felt Melvin wanting to retort this behind her, but he gave up with a groan and headed back into the school.

-transition-

For all her talk, Marik had never been in downtown Domino City. _Ever. _For reasons kept a secret, she was always forced to stay within a watching eye's distance. But, now, she was by herself, in the town, with two hours to kill.

Marik quickly realized she hated window shopping. It was almost unfair how they put the nicest and of course _priciest _things on display just to lure customers in. It made her sick to her stomach. Of course, she never actually been inside one of the stores, let alone _purchased _anything from them, but it still fueled her already blazing fire.

She also learned she despised frozen yogurt. It was just a cheap imitation of ice cream for frigg's sake! That didn't stop her from finishing the rest of it, though…

Ah, finally, something she actually enjoyed! Dogs. As Marik passed a dog park, several of them galloped up to her without any warning and jumped up on her, in essence, knocking her over onto the grass. They then proceeded to lick most of the kohl off up face, if not her face itself. She laughed as they did so, trying to push them off to no avail.

"I'm so sorry about that," one woman said, trying to get her dog to heel.

"It- it's okay!" Marik stumbled through hurriedly as another dog pounced on her face.

"No, you're very kind, but some people don't like dogs, so it's disgraceful to have them jump up on you like that," the lady insisted, pulling the rest of the pack off Marik.

"Who could not like dogs?" Marik wondered aloud, sitting up as the dogs had finally given her space to breathe.

The civilian shrugged and mumbled, "I have no idea, but some do." She herded the dogs away, giving a wave.

Marik was sad to see them go. It was the only thing that had distracted her from her unpleasantness, so she decided to stay at the dog park a little longer…

A little longer turned into a _whole lot_ longer, because soon it was past four, which meant school had ended nearly a half hour before. And this also meant that Marik had to find a way home.

It was too far a walk, so that option was out. A bus seemed more suitable, but Marik soon realized she had spent all her extra change on frozen yogurt. Damn overpriced dairy treat imitation… That ruled out taxis and trains as well. So, basically, she was out of options. Well, now that she thought about it, it was only a twenty mile walk… _Am I crazy? It'll take a week to get there! If I _run, Marik scolded herself. But the options were _more _than limited, so she began to hike north and prayed someone would come rescue her.

And, then, an angel appeared.

"Marik!"

Marik turned around, seeing that someone was running towards her. As he approached, Marik realize it was Ryou. She had the sudden urge to bolt, seeing as lunchtime had been so… awkward. But her feet were tired from walking and her mind kept screaming, "Maybe he'll give me a ride! Don't lose the opportunity, Marik!"

Ryou caught up to her, grasped her shoulders, and panted as he stared down at the sidewalk for what seemed an innumerable amount of time. At last, he questioned weakly, "How- how long have you been wandering around her with- without someone?"

"Uh, I don't know, maybe an hour?" Marik guessed, not seeing the big deal.

Ryou wiped his forehead with his forearm and mumbled, "Oh, good. Melvin would have killed me if it was any longer."

Color grew behind Marik's tan as she questioned furiously, "What? Why? Did Melvin threaten you?"

Ryou laughed nervously and muttered, "Maybe a little…"

"How dare he!" Marik held up her fist. "I swear, I'm gonna-"

"Marik, please-" Ryou placed his hand over Marik's and forced her hand to return to her side. "- I didn't want to cause more trouble. In fact, that's why I searched for you."

"Yeah, why did you do that?" Marik inquired, her eyebrows knitting themselves together.

Ryou laughed again, but it seemed forced. He elaborated, "When I saw Melvin in the halls after lunch, I asked him if you went home. He mumbled something about your stubbornness and then explained that you chose to go downtown instead of go home. I was worried about you, so I offered to find you and give you a ride home after school. He agreed but only after he made me swear on my life that I return you home before dinner time." Ryou sighed with relief, obviously thankful he'd found Marik in time.

Marik blinked. "I still wanna kill him."

Ryou laughed, genuinely this time, and motioned Marik to follow him back to his car. She did so, slightly reluctant. She wanted more than anything to get off her sore feet, but she kept thinking it'd be awkward the whole way back… Eventually, she sunk into the shot gun seat and prayed things wouldn't be as bad as she feared.

-transition-

Ryou's car was very nice. It was basic and yet modern, having the best of both worlds. Marik wished she could enjoy this lazy car ride home, but the silence between the two teens was suffocating her.

"Um… So, you were worried about me?" Marik questioned before what she asked registered in her mind.

Ryou blushed crimson and muttered, "Of course. You're my friend…"

"And you're my friend," Marik assured, then blurted out, "And, as that, I'm so sorry I accused you of being _him _at lunch today."

"Yeah, I'm still confused by that…" Ryou gave a strange smile as he stared at the road ahead. "So, who's this _him _of which you speak?"

Marik's eyes widened frightendly as she tried to conjure up an excuse. "He's… um… my ex." _Of all the things! _she cried inside her head.

Ryou's weird smile became sad. "Oh, I'm sorry I brought up bad memories…"

"It's not your fault!" Marik protested, "You can't help how you look! I was just being irrational about it." She added to the lie, "I've known you forever, so it must seem weird that this came out of the blue, huh? Well the reason is, when you tried to feel my forehead to see if I was sick, you just reminded me of him. And you really do look like him. That's all."

Ryou gave this a minute to absorb before saying, "Oh. Well, then I guess everything's normal then, huh?"

_The polar opposite really… _"Yeah, of course."

"I make a left here, right, Marik?" Ryou inquired, glancing at the street signs.

"That's right," Marik promised, though she had little to no clue how to get back to where she lived. Melvin always drove, and she wasn't much for details, so her navigation skills weren't the best. The Egyptian shifted in her seat and transitioned, "So, Melvin seemed kind of worried about me… That's weird."

"Is it?" Ryou's eyebrows furrowed as he took the left turn. "I thought it was the sibling's _job _to be worried about you."

"If that's so, Melvin is horrible at it," Marik teased, though Ryou stayed silent. "Something wrong?"

"Just thinking," the albino excused, though the pretext didn't satisfy Marik.

"Ryou-"

"I had a brother who took really good care of me," Ryou randomly announced, his expression appearing fatigued.

"Ryou, I-"

"He and my sister both died in the same accident."

Marik tried to swallow her pride at being interrupted twice and asked softly, "What was his name?"

Ryou gritted his teeth but finally revealed-

"Bakura."

Marik's eyes widened to unbelievable length, her lavender irises shaking. _No… His Bakura can't be _the _Bakura… can it? There's just no way! I know they look alike and everything but- No! It's not true! Ryou said his brother died in the same accident as his sister! Which legitimizes it fully! Yes, it's just some weird coincidence! _

"Marik, are you all right?" Ryou placed a hand on her leg. "You're shaking. I hope what I said didn't upset you. It used to upset me, but I've grown kind of immune to it, you know?"

"Yeah…" Marik whispered faintly, her mind still moving at a million miles an hour.

Ryou turned into a forest covered area, looking out the windows curiously. "Huh… Melvin said this is where you lived… But I don't see any houses nearby…"

Marik pushed her thoughts away temporarily and lied, "This is the right place. My house is just down the road, but you can't get there by car. I'll have to walk the last few minutes."

"Are you sure?" Ryou adjusted his mirror. "Because behind us is a trail that leads in the direction, and I'm sure I can-"

"No, no, I'm fine," Marik insisted, taking her seatbelt off and opening the passenger door. She slipped out and said a quick thank you before shutting the door and beginning to head down the road to where she told Ryou her house was located. Marik walked until she heard Ryou's car back up over the gravel and drive away. She then made an immediate U-turn and headed the opposite direction.

About a minute or so later, Marik found the entrance to where she lived and opened the cellar-like doors to let in the evening light. A flight of stairs met her view, and she slowly ascended down them.

As she did, Marik thought, _I've got to ask Bakura about that. Of course, I'm positive there's no connection, but you can never be too careful, right? Right. Why am I answering myself…? _She shook her head to rid her thoughts as she reached the end of the staircase, finding herself in front of her family's front door. Marik opened it and called in, "Hello? Melvin?"

But Melvin wasn't the one who answered.

Ishizu smiled through the darkness. "Hello, Marik. How was school?"

_Author's Note: Ah-ha! Cliffhanger! And not the last! There will be plenty more to come; trust me… *evil smirk*_

_It was fun to write, but I'm glad it's over. It's mostly just setting up the plot…_

_Bakura: If it's setting up the plot, why the hell did I not even get one line this chapter? I'm one of the main characters in this fanfic! _

_Me: Shut up, Kitty!_

*YGOTAS REFERENCE* (Like it wasn't obvious enough. XD)

_Review time, children! Gather around the computer and send me a delightful tid-bit of your lovely thoughts please. :3_


	4. Are You Evil?

_Author's Note: Two months is a hell of a long time to be waiting for an update. I sincerely apologize. I've been in your shoes, people, so I sympathize with you. Here we go with a new update! Ready? Okay!_

Chapter 4

Marik's POV: (_This ought to be fun. :3)_

Ishizu and I were always ignored. When my father was one of the heads of the Tombkeepers', he went strictly by the rules of the Clan. And one of those many, _many _rules was that the leaders had to be male.

Being that the organization was completely boy-orientated, Ishizu and I were cast to the side. We were below servants; we were _women. _We were shameful beings, the first sinners, pitiful creatures, nothing more than tools or vessels. At least, that's what we were told.

That being said, men were then treated the polar opposite: like gods. (Except Odion, of course. He was the exception.)

Because Melvin was the only boy under the sun to inherit the Ishtar name, a lot of pressure was put on him— not as much would be exerted on me later, of course, but that was beside the point. It was a lot of stress for a nine year old boy, nonetheless. And Melvin had never been very stable to begin with…

Which is what led to the "accident".

Being that I was also only nine years old at the time and mostly kept oblivious to this all, I can only recall my sister coming into my room late at night. She had shaken me awake fiercely, pulling me out of my peaceful sleep. When I opened my eyes, I remember seeing her stern expression reflecting a dull shine from recently shed tears.

"Ishizu, what's wrong?" I'd asked her, now completely awake.

Her face said one thing, but her words said another as she informed me emotionlessly, "There was an accident. Father has passed away."

Later, I would find out this was no accident, but at the time, I felt the news shake my core. From a young age, Tombkeepers were taught that life was short and death was just a step to another world, but the idea of never talking to someone, never seeing them again— the only natural thing to do is cry. So I did. I didn't cry because I missed him, but because I wasn't sure where that left the rest of us.

Ishizu had put a finger to my lips at the first sign of tears and a haggard sniffle. She whispered to my wet face that now matched hers, "No tears, Marik. Our father didn't care for us anyway; we were just advancements to him getting an heir to the Clan's leader position."

I had always known this in my heart, but hearing it aloud still made me gasp heavily. After the initial shock subsided, I had asked her softly, "Does that mean Melvin is in charge now?"

"No, no, it does not," Ishizu had said in a dark tone, catching my younger self off guard. She seemed to look pass me as she described, "For too long, Marik, we've been ignored, or worse, abused. This is our chance, Marik! We can take over the Clan! We can change how our organization operates, give us some worth!"

"How?" I'd questioned, my eyes going wide at this proposition.

She leaned closer to me, as if afraid she'd be overheard if her nose wasn't resting on mine. "I cannot take control myself. I've already met with several of the Clan members outside our family; they've already forged their opinion about me. But, you, Marik, they haven't met. Listen to me: If we educated you as much- no, more! - than the other boys who are in line to inherit the leadership of the Tombkeepers' Clan, we could gain favor in the elders' eyes and take over the entire Clan!" Her voice gradually became louder, until it sounded like the squawking of a parrot. "Can't you see it, Marik? Can't you see this amazing opportunity? It is too perfect to pass up!"

I had blinked several times at her words, skeptical about this. But the excitement my sister was glowing with was contagious, and all of my original sorrow and worry had been evaporated in Ishizu's enthusiasm. It was replaced by childlike eagerness that shook my brains so violently that I didn't know my left from my right.

"Yes, of course!" I had agreed in a delightful squeal. "I want to help you, sister, in any way that I can!"

Ishizu had smiled at this and took my lesser hands in hers. "That's all I wanted to hear," she had said plainly, her eyes lowering contently onto our joined hands.

-transition-

I hadn't known what I'd got myself into. Suddenly, what I thought impossible began occurring regularly: Melvin was being completely neglected while all of the attention was on me. I did not take to the changes easily. I was too used to be part of the shadows, belonging and yet not. But the changes were accepted slowly and routines were established even slower than that.

I'd be lying if I said that _all _the changes were for the worst, though. We were no longer forced to stay underground all the time. Ishizu let Melvin and I attend public school, which I'm sure my father rolling over in his grave. And though schedules were tight, we were all given far more freedoms, which we accepted without delay.

Odion enjoyed the liberties the most out of all of us I believe. He was rarely seen after the death of our father, always off and away to exotic and mostly unknown places. It was for the best I think, because Ishizu ignored him as much if not more than Melvin.

Ishizu went on expeditions occasionally, too. But hers were always to Egypt, when the Clan leaders all had to meet annually. She hated these trips, but she tolerated them for my sake, she told me. And things weren't really that bad the first few years. It was only after she returned from one of these excursions that things took a turn for the worst.

"Marik, come here!"

I can't quite remember, but I'd say I was about twelve. I don't remember what I'd been doing, but I was excited to see Ishizu back after the long time she'd been gone, so I'd doubled down the hallway to embrace my big sis. But when I rounded the corner and she came into view, my heels dug into the floor and I could almost hear the screech that you hear directly before a car accident.

"Sister? Are you all right?"

"Fine," she barked curtly, taking me aback. I bit on my lip to stop a sarcastic quip from escaping, because Ishizu was clearly not in a mood to kid around.

Then I noticed something in Ishizu's hand.

"What is that?" I asked cautiously, my head cocking to the side to peer around her at the object.

"A gift," she stated. "For you, Marik." As if strings were attached to my arms, I held out my hands, and Ishizu dropped the Millennium Rod in my grasp.

The item glowed an eerie light, and I felt a wave race through me.

And nothing else happened.

"I don't understand…" I trailed off, looking down at the Item with some disappointment. I had been told a little about the Millennium Items, enough to recognize them and know that something big was supposed to happen if you attained one.

"The Item accepted you," Ishizu reported. "Not that I'm surprised. The Ishtar women are destined for great things."

I looked up at her with some admiration. She was my role model, after all. Being like her was my life's dream.

And I saw upon the neck of my role model that something was gleaming in a yellow-gold light.

"Ishizu, was it that around your neck?" I inquired, standing on my tippy toes to get a better look.

She placed her hands on my shoulders and pushed me back down, saying, "It's another Millennium Item, just like the Rod. This is the Millennium Necklace. I am its new owner."

"That's wonderful!" I congratulated her, but for the first time in years, she didn't seem to acknowledge my enthusiasm as a good thing. She scowled at me and scolded me about how I should use my energy for more studying to impress the elders. I blamed her odd behavior on jetlag, but something inside me told me this new Ishizu was here to stay and that I had to be wary of her.

And then, shortly after, something on the outside confirmed these thoughts.

-transition-

"Marik, what is _that_?"

"The Millennium Rod," I answered casually. "Ishizu gave it to me." I pouted at my twin. "I thought you know all about the Millennium Items, Melvin."

"I do! And that's why I'm freaking out!" I usually would ignore his random bursts paranoia, but he looked genuinely panicked at the moment.

I looked down at the gold item in my hand, asking, "What's wrong with it? I thought it was just an instrument that the Tombkeepers and our ancestors in Egypt used."

Melvin gave me a look. "Ishizu didn't tell you the story of how the Millennium Items were made, did she?"

I blinked. "Now that you mention it, no, she didn't. Is it imperative that I know it?"

Melvin nodded gravely. I sat down next to him and looked into those dull blue eyes as he searched for something in the space behind me. Finally, he began, "The Millennium Items have always been used by mankind, yes, and by our family specifically. But they were created for evil."

"That can't be true," I denied, shaking my head in disbelief.

"It is," Melvin said solemnly. "Back in Egypt, thousands of years ago, they were created by sacrificing the souls of an entire village. Something that is forged from human souls cannot be anything but evil."

Melvin gave me a moment to process this, and I did. _Could it be true? _I wondered. _Could the Millennium Items only be used as instruments of destruction? But Ishizu gave this to me! It can't be!_

"And that's not the worst of it," Melvin suddenly cut through my thoughts. "Because the Items are evil, the evil in the person who holds them grows even darker."

"You don't think—"

"No, of course you're not evil, sis. You're way too much of a goody-two-shoes."

At that point, I didn't know whether to be relieved at this or insulted.

"But I think Ishizu might be."

I gasped, immediately glaring at him. "Ishizu is _not _evil. She loves us."

"She _might _of, but I think that love has been lost in all the vengeance she wants to commit."

"'Vengeance'?" I echoed, my face growing blank. It would be a word I'd think of every time I was reminded of her after that day.

Melvin nodded.

I couldn't take it. Ishizu wasn't evil! And if she was, I was going to save her! No darkness was going to take my sister without a fight from me!

I dashed out of the room. I could hear Melvin reciting my name over and over again after me, but I didn't listen. I kept sprinting deeper into our tomb, in search of Ishizu.

I had to know the truth.

"Ishizu?"

I found her in the temple area, kneeling before an altar. I knew I shouldn't disturb her, but I ignored my mind's warning and did so anyway.

She spun around and looked at me, her face fierce. "Yes, Marik?" she asked with an undertone of anger that seemed about to escape. It made me want to turn around and run off, away from everything.

But, again, I didn't follow my common sense.

So many questions were floating inside my mind. I grappled for one, but none of them seemed to be within reach. Finally, I took hold of one question, deciding I had to ask it before Ishizu grew impatient with me and left.

"Are you evil?"

It was silent for a moment, and I had wanted to dissolve into the air. Of all questions, of course, it had to be the one that made me sound like I was out of my mind.

At last, Ishizu laughed.

It sounded shrill though, unnatural. I still wanted to bolt, but something kept my feet anchored to the floor.

"Evil? Marik, dear, what gave you that idea?"

I swallowed dryly. "Well, Melvin told me the story of how the Millennium Items were made. He said they were created for evil purposes. Is that true?"

Ishizu's expression turned from amusement to fury. She snarled, "So what if it is true? It doesn't mean that they are _still _used for evil acts."

"Oh. Good." I felt relieved. "So what Melvin said about them growing the evil inside someone is also false?"

Ishizu didn't answer, not at first. She turned back to look at the altar and didn't say a word.

That was an answer in itself.

"Then we have to get rid of the Millennium Items!" I suddenly declared before it could process in my mind. My voice sounded too loud to me, and I'm sure it did to Ishizu, too. Against my better judgment, I ran up to her and clasped my hands on the Necklace, saying hurriedly, "Here, I'll help—"

"Don't you_ dare_!"

Without any warning, a hand was swiped across my face at the almost screamed word of "dare". I knew it was only supposed to be a warning, but it was delivered so heavily that it had me flying all the way across the room, where my head hit the wall.

It didn't knock me out. There was a bump on the back of my head that was nothing to sneeze at and a claw mark upon my face that made me look like I wrestled with a tiger, but I was more or less lucky that those were the only injuries I had to sustain. I was disoriented after the blow, but I found myself rising with help from the wall behind me.

Ishizu looked shocked that I wasn't out cold, let alone _standing. _I could tell she didn't have a plan B. So when I raised the Millennium Rod at her, she froze in fear.

"Marik!"

My own name took me out of my dazed trance. I looked over at Melvin in the doorway. By his intense expression, I could tell he had witnessed the entire exchange.

"Don't use the Millennium Rod for evil!" he somehow penetrated my unsettled state. "If you do, you'll be no better than her! The darkness will take you, too!"

To this day, I still cannot believe he got through to me, but before I knew it, I was placing the Millennium Rod down on the floor, as if signifying a truce.

Ishizu smirked at this and exited the room without a word. Melvin glared at her as she brushed past him. I could tell he was barely holding back white-hot fury, but the fact that he was made me proud of my brother. He took a big step that day, and that was worth any receiving any wound.

-transition-

My injuries healed with some ice and rest; Melvin saw to that. But the gash that had been torn between my sister and me never truly healed. She was colder, more spiteful, and easier to anger from that moment on. She also didn't ignore Melvin anymore. Instead, she took every opportunity she could afford to gibe and mock him. She never physically harmed him, because she more than anyone knew Melvin was more than capable of killing her at a moment's notice. But the fact that Melvin was refusing to didn't go unnoticed by her.

Things got harder on me as well. Instantly, my schedules were tighter and my workload had been increased immensely. She never touched me again, though, which I was thankful for. But the fear of her that I had acquired overnight never faded. I was always living in fear in my younger years, and as I moved into middle school, that fear turned to resentment, and when I went into high school, that resentment turned into rage.

And so that rage was still bundled up inside me as I entered the tomb that afternoon when Ryou had dropped me off and I was brought face to face with Ishizu who asked:

"Hello, Marik. How was school?"

_Author's Note: A disguised flashback. How do you like it, eh? Yeah, I think it pretty cool, too. :)_

_Again, sorry for the wait. I love you, guys! Please review! :D_


	5. Does the Name Ryou Ring a Bell?

_Author's Note: Sometimes I forget people like this story… Okay, a little more than sometimes. I could go on a long rant about how my unofficial hiatus was justified, but I don't feel like it. Can you guys just take my word for it? _

_Actually, I've done a number of drafts of this chapter before, but I didn't like any of them… So I'm gonna pick and choose some scenes and see if I can get a chapter out of it. _

_Here's hoping this chapter turns out all right._

Chapter 5

It turned out Ishizu was not terribly interested in Marik's day at school at all. Very uncharacteristically, after a brief talk with Marik, she announced that she was going on an errand and fled the Ishtar home.

And Marik was more than grateful for her early departure.

"Is she gone?"

Melvin opened the door a crack and confirmed, "Yep."

"Thank Ra." Marik sunk down into one of the chairs around their kitchen table and placed her head down. "I don't have the energy to deal with Ishizu today." She lifted her head back up to look at Melvin and asked, "Think she'll be back soon?"

"Doubt it." Melvin's face was stony as he reported, "She took _it _with her."

"Oh." Marik was well aware of what "it" was, and it meant that Ishizu probably would not be back for several days. But when she did return, it was likely she would be in one of her foulest of moods.

Marik put her head back down on the table.

Melvin looked attentively at his sister before he questioned, "So that Ryou found you, eh? Good. I had a feeling he wouldn't let me down."

"Oh, that's right!" Marik leapt up, clinging to her school backpack. "I… um… have an errand to run, too."

Suspicions evident in his tone, Melvin inquired, "That so? And where might that be?"

"Um…" Marik smiled disarmingly. "… Just, you know, around."

"Marik—"

"I have to go!" Marik slipped out of the door before Melvin could make a move to tackle her down.

"Wait, damn you!" Melvin called after her, swinging the door wide open. "Marik, I swear to God I'll—"

A hand fell on Melvin's shoulder. "Let her go," an even tone told him.

"Why should I, Odion?" Melvin growled, spinning around to face the man.

Odion shrugged, but it meant anything but "I don't know." More likely it was more in the neighborhood of "what's the point?" Clearly though, Melvin would be the last person to appreciate his subtlety.

"Whatever," Melvin hissed, and he slammed the door closed. "It's not like I cared anyway," he added haughtily as he stormed to his room.

Odion only shook his head.

-transition-

"Melvin is going to get me for that one…" Marik muttered, trudging through the forest in the direction of Bakura's "haunted estate." And it was true—what she had said. It was highly probable that the twins would have a bigger fight later, physical or otherwise. But that was how they solved all their arguments: They got out all their energy and wore themselves down until only pure emotion was left. Then, from there, they would yell about it until one of them gave in—likely with tears or apologies—and finally forgive each other. At that point though, several days would have passed since their latest fight and they possibly would not recall what it had even been about. But that was their ritual, and it worked; and the way they looked at it, why fix something that isn't broken?

Their process of arguing was best. It was best because it was reliable—in the way that they would always end up forgiving each other, no matter what.

And that was all that counted.

After a couple more minutes, Marik reached Bakura's place. It looked abandoned and marauding as always, but hey, what else was new?

Marik found it surprisingly easy not to knock and to simply walk in. Not because it was unlocked (yet again), but because she had only known Bakura, what? A couple days? Seemed all too early to make yourself at home in someone's house.

If this _was_ his house.

"Bakura?" Marik called. "Bakuuurrraaa?"

This time, Bakura did appear instead of letting her wander around completely lost. He walked down the grand staircase with purposeful leisureness until he halted at about the middle of flight of stairs, observing, "So you're here."

"Uh, yeah…" Marik gave the boy a skeptical look.

Bakura returned the same look and inquired, "How'd it go?"

Marik blinked. "How did what go?"

"At school. You know…"

"I know… Oh!" With the interjection, Bakura jumped backward up a step. "At the school, yeah, the teachers were pretty damn angry. I assume we'll be hearing several lectures about it before they finally let that one go…"

"Excellent." Bakura sat down on the stair he had been standing on. His expression was blank but his tone was smug as he admitted, "Screwing with them is quite fun."

"You've messed with my school before?" Marik inquired, not waiting for an invitation to climb the stairs up to where Bakura was and take a seat beside him.

Bakura creeped up a couple more steps away and answered, "Yes, though the other times weren't nearly as interesting."

"Why not?" Marik asked, following him up those couple more stairs.

"Because…" Bakura ascended a few stairs more. "Because I didn't have an accomplice."

Marik was silent at that. She waited a moment, staring straight into Bakura's face to try to see if he was genuinely happy she had joined him or if he was just trying to flatter her, but it was futile; Bakura mirrored her exactly in every way. She could only rely on his words. "I see…" Marik conquered the distance between them, her face dangerously close to Bakura's. "Are you telling me the truth?"

"I… am. But don't go overanalyzing that or any_thing_—!"

Moving up the stairs while talking, Bakura had run out of steps. He had reached for another nonexistent stair and had fallen flat on his back.

Marik could not stop herself. She laughed. And, of course, that forced Bakura to involuntarily laugh, too.

"Stop… Stop making me laugh at myself! It's not… It's not…!" Bakura curled into himself on the floor, trying desperately to cease the secondhand laughter.

"I'm… I'm sorry! I just…" Marik bit down on her lip in attempt to stop herself, but inadvertent giggles still escaped her. "I'm trying! Honest!" She covered her mouth with her hands, which stopped the sound of the laughter, but her body still shook with it.

After another minute, the hilariousness of the situation died down. Marik's laughter was finally doused completely, meaning Bakura's was as well. The Ishtar gazed down at Bakura, who was still lying on his side on the floor, and promised, "Really, I didn't mean it."

"I… know." He did not sound terribly confident. Clearly he was conflicted about this, but his expression provided no gateway into his thoughts. "Just… try not to do that again."

Marik folded her hands in her lap. "Okay. But, while I have you here, I'd like to ask you a question."

"Hold on; let me prepare myself." Bakura retreated away about ten feet, propped himself up against the wall, and announced, "All right, go ahead."

Marik was hurt Bakura did not feel comfortable around her at the moment, but in light of recent events, she decided to let it go. "I was wondering…" she started. "See, I have this friend—"

"I'm the wrong person to ask about relationship troubles."

"Bakura!" Marik snapped, casting him a sharp look.

Bakura barely felt her spite and shrugged in response. "I'm just stating a fact. There's no need to get finicky about it."

Marik groaned. "Fine then. And I'm not talking about relationship problems anyway…" Her face reddened under her tan, but Bakura didn't notice. "What I was going to ask you was… well…" She looked right in Bakura's eyes and asked, "Do you have any siblings, Bakura?"

Bakura's expression was blank. Not a single emotion flickered. Though, Marik really wondered why she expected anything different.

"Siblings… siblings…" Bakura leaned his head back. "Why is it you want to know?"

"Well, like I mentioned earlier, I have this friend. We've known each other a long time, and I kind of noticed he looks a lot like you…" As vain as it was, Marik could not stop herself from searching for clues in Bakura's face. She tried not to make it evident, but it was impossible.

"Looking for something?" Marik was sure Bakura would have been smirking at that moment if he could. "You'll find nothing. And to answer your question, yes, I do indeed have siblings. Or _had, _in one of their cases."

"What happened?"

Bakura shook his head, as if to organize his thoughts in preparation of telling a long story. "My dad and I never really got along when I was young, and one day we had a really awful fight. I ended up running away from home, 'cause I was stupid. Just as I left, I discovered my mom and little sister had died in a car accident. My dad thought I was in that accident with them, since I was nowhere to be found, so I was presumed dead. Again, because I was so stupid, I let him think that and disappeared for good."

"That's terrible."

"It is, isn't it? I should have returned to my dad and twin brother and told them that I was okay, but I had to sense back then. And by the time I got some, it was already far too late to come clean."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Pretty sure, considering all of my family and the government thinks I died years ago." Bakura shrugged. "Besides, it's not like I could live normally with them even if they forgave me and my records were miraculously recovered, me being cursed and all."

"Oh, I'd forgotten." Marik gave Bakura a pitying stare that morphed into a more horrified one. "Wait… If your story is true, then whose house is this…?"

Bakura would have laughed if he had not been receiving Marik's freaked out vibes. "I didn't steal it, if that's what you're thinking. This mansion is mine. I inherited it from the guy that took me in after I received the curse."

"Someone took you in? Someone took in the cursed albino teen ghost? _Why_?" She hadn't meant for it to sound so facetious, but honestly! Who would do that?

"Well, considering we were both cursed by the same person, we had a… common point of interest."

"You were…? Wait, are you going to tell me why and how you were cursed yet?"

"Nope. Don't know you well enough." Bakura crossed his arms stubbornly.

Marik sighed. "Anyways, Bakura, does that mean you don't want me to tell Ryou you're here?"

Bakura flinched at the name, which surprised himself more than Marik. After a slight hesitation, he said softly, "That would be… preferable."

Marik nodded. "I'll tell you though… He really misses you."

Bakura was quiet, processing this. Finally, he mumbled flatly, "I suppose he probably does."

"He said you were a really good brother."

Bakura glared directly at Marik and questioned, "Are you tryingto get me upset? It won't work. I would know."

"Look, Bakura, I'm no expert on these things," Marik confessed, "but it's not healthy to hold it in."

"You think I'm _volunteering _for this?" Even though his tone was blasé as usual when she was far away enough, it was obvious he was indignant. "Have you been listening to a word I've been saying?" The volume of his voice rose in trying frantically to get his point across. "It's not my choice! I'm not refusing to be sad; I _can't _be."

"Bakura…" Marik rose and took a few paces towards him.

Bakura scrambled back a bit. "No, stop! Marik, leave me alone! I will—"

She dropped down next to him, the full force of Marik's empathy and melancholy hitting Bakura like a train. "It's okay." She pulled the other into a hug. "You might not be able to be sad physically, but your thoughts are your own. It's okay to be sad."

"I'm not sad, woman," Bakura tried to snap, but it came out in a whimper thanks to Marik. "This is third party intervention. It doesn't count as being sad."

"It's the best I can do, all right?" Marik pulled Bakura tighter into her hug.

Bakura closed his eyes and concentrated against fighting against Marik's emotions with all his willpower. Experimentation he had conducted before made him well aware that it was pointless to fight the curse, but it didn't stop him from trying.

"If you make me cry, I'll never forgive you," Bakura growled pointedly, even as tears fell down his face.

"I know," Marik replied, sniffling herself.

-transition-

"Ishizu still gone?" Marik inquired, tiptoeing into her and Melvin's shared room.

"Yes. Called and said she'd be gone until next week," Melvin answered curtly. He didn't take his eyes off his video game as he interrogated, "But where the hell have you been?"

"I was at a friend's house," Marik informed, tossing her backpack onto her bed.

"Uh-huh," Melvin muttered skeptically. While his attention was still on his game, it was clear he was more interested in his little sister's earlier whereabouts. "So… uh… what friend?"

"You don't know them," Marik responded automatically. She hated how much that sounded like a cop-out, but naming off someone random from school would be far more dangerous. No doubt Melvin would question them, and then she would _really _be stuck.

"Sounds suspicious," Melvin commented, but he sounded more curious than angry that she had made an excuse.

"It's not," Marik assured, sitting cross-legged on her bed. She quickly busied herself with homework, endeavoring to ease the conversation to something more harmless.

Melvin thought for a moment, which made Marik nervous. Her brother had a habit of blurting out whatever happened to be on his present mind at the given moment, so him thinking something over first was a red flag that something was up.

"So is he hot?"

Marik's pencil snapped.

"Who?" she asked delicately.

"This kid you sneaked out to see. Is he hot? You got some kind of weird, girly crush on him?"

"I don't… I don't know what you're talking about."

Melvin smirked. "Sure. We'll play that game for a while. Just know that Ishizu will be pissed when she finds out."

"She won't find out," Marik retorted before she could stop herself.

"So there is a guy…" Melvin sung slyly. "I knew it. Don't worry though; your secret is safe with me."

"There. Is. No. Guy," Marik articulated sharply.

"Suuure. Whatever you say."

At that moment, Marik wanted to tell Melvin everything. She wanted to prove that it was strictly professional. If nothing else, she wanted to prove she was right so she could get some damn respect.

But instead, she let all those desires with a sigh and returned to her homework.

_Ishizu is gone, Bakura is okay, and Melvin is… Melvin. Today is a good day, _the youngest Ishtar thought contently.

"What the hell are you smiling for?"

"Nothing," Marik chimed. "Nothing at all."

_Author's Note: Yes, Bakura crying is out of character. BUT THAT'S THE POINT. (Ooh, Ani breaks the rules on purpose? Where did this come from, eh?) Well, it does fit in nicely with the plot..._

_Don't ask me why sibling issues keep showing up in every story I write; even I don't know._

_I think of Marik as a very huggy person._

_Blame the shortness of this chapter on my inability to not get distracted every five minutes. I blame technology. Boo me._

_Sorry this took forever. Maybe you'll forgive me? Maybe?_

_Thanks for waiting ever so patiently. I'd really love it if you'd review._


	6. Who Is This Guy?

_Author's Note: I was motivated, so I updated quickly. A short round of applause, please, as we enter act six of the aspiring story, "Name This Feeling." *brief applause*_

Chapter 6

"Oh dear." Yugi walked up alongside the crowd that had formed and whispered softly to Tea, "How long have they been fighting?"

"Since school got out," Tea answered. She flinched as Marik landed a punch on Melvin. It did little to faze him, however, and he went directly for a vital blow that landed him on the ground as Marik evaded it. "I don't know what kind of fight they had, but the battle aura being exerted between them in class was almost unbearable."

"'Battle aura'? Isn't that a little dramatic?" Joey commented, arms folded across his chest.

"Not in this case," Tea muttered with a shake of the head. The rest of the group simultaneously nodded in agreement.

"No one knows what the fight is about?" Duke wondered aloud, watching as Marik landed another punch, this one sending Melvin back a couple feet.

"I… I hope I didn't start it," Ryou mumbled faintly. Restlessly, he fiddled with the hem of his striped shirt.

"Why would you have started it?" Yugi inquired, having to stand on his tippy toes to look at around Atem at Ryou.

"Erm… I suppose maybe me giving Marik a ride home the other day could have made the 'big brother protectiveness' in Melvin stir," Ryou admitted. "At least, that's my theory."

"Sounds plausible," Atem agreed.

Ryou only sighed.

The physical part of the fight only lasted a couple more minutes after that, the twins growing exhausted. Melvin had taken most of the hits, but he had got a few in himself. Towards the end, he had tripped Marik up as she went for a finishing strike. That maneuver cost Marik her balance, and she ended up falling flat on her back. Before she could recover though, Melvin pinned her down and questioned acidly, "Where did you go? Who is this guy?"

"'Guy'?" Tea echoed. The brunette glared around at the group and asked, "Whom could he be referring to?"

"Ryou?" Atem guessed, pointing at said person.

Ryou's face reddened. "Me?" He adverted his eyes from the people studying him and murmured to the ground, "Maybe it is my fault after all…"

"No, it can't be Ryou," Yugi denied, which surprised nearly everyone.

"What makes you say that, Yug'?" Joey questioned.

Yugi hummed thoughtfully. "Well, Melvin said, 'Who is this guy?', which implies he doesn't know who it is. And if he did know for a fact that it was Ryou, wouldn't he be going after him instead of Marik?"

"Makes sense," Tristan concluded.

"Shh!" Tea told them, pointing at the twins. "They're saying something!"

"I told you! There is no guy!" Marik shouted, squirming around and trying to escape her temporary imprisonment on the ground.

"Bullshit!" Melvin insisted, shaking Marik forcefully in his grip. "Tell me!"

Marik clicked her tongue, making a "tisk, tisk" sound. "Is your own life really so boring that you feel the need to pry into mine?"

As soon as she said it, Marik knew she had won. There was no competition when it came to an exchange of words between the two.

Melvin growled, clearly this getting to him more than he would like to admit. Even if it was blatantly obvious to everyone else that he was overly protective of Marik, he wasn't very honest about the fact with himself. Saying anything about it was entirely against his nature, so Marik bringing it up always slowed his thought process down, if not stopped it all together.

While her brother was thrown off guard, Marik took advantage of it and used her legs to push Melvin off of her and onto the ground himself. She hopped up immediately, making sure Melvin didn't try to trap her again.

"Give up?" she gibed, gazing down at him.

Melvin sat up and glared at her. "Keep this up, and I won't give you a ride home," he warned.

_Damn. _Melvin was Marik's only way home. She knew that maybe Ryou would be able to give her another lift, but she did not want to impose on him a second time, even if it meant losing this argument to Melvin. "That's unfair," Marik complained.

"Life's unfair," Melvin retorted, grinning cruelly.

Marik gritted her teeth but held out her hand in truce. "A draw for now?" she proposed. (Riding Melvin's motorcycle home every day was something of a sacred ritual between them as well, and it could not—simply could not!—be conducted if they were on bad terms.)

Melvin had leverage in the quarrel now, and he knew it. But he also knew he could never refuse the offer. That meant going home by himself, which both left Marik stranded among strangers and left him with a long and lonely ride home. Frankly, neither of these things appealed to him, but he wondered if Marik knew that…

"All right. Draw then." Melvin took his sister's hand and used to help himself up.

"Aww, is it over?" Joey whined, walking up to the twins along with the others. "But there was no real resolution!"

"Quiet, man," Tristan hissed. "Do you _want _them to start fighting again?"

"Yes," Joey muttered, which earned him an elbow in the ribs by Tea.

"Should we all head home then?" Yugi asked, glimpsing over at Atem for his opinion on the matter. Considering they were already late due to the fight prolonging their walk home, the other nodded.

"So you're really not going to tell me who this guy is?" Melvin confirmed, tossing Marik her helmet.

"I told you: There is no guy." Marik was disgusted by how this already sounded like a common mantra to her, and the words tasted bitter on her tongue. But it was only the truth. There was no guy.

Only Bakura.

-transition-

"Marik, don't do this."

"I'm gonna do it."

"Please, Marik."

"Oh? _The _Bakura said please? Maybe now I'll consider it…"

"Marik, don't."

"I—"

"Marik!"

"Checkmate."

"Ugh!" Bakura was smirking just as vividly as Marik was, but it was obvious he wanted to be mad as hell. In an attempt to further communicate this, the white-haired boy flipped the chessboard off the table, game pieces spilling all around them. Bakura hid the contagious smirk in his hands and mumbled, "How do you _do _that?"

"I don't know." Marik shrugged, her smirk still on display. "Just lucky I guess."

"But you've won seven times in a row," Bakura informed her, beginning to retrieve the chess pieces from the floor. He tried to keep the secondhand glee out of his tone (to no avail of course) as he muttered, "No one can be that lucky that many times in a row."

"Well…" Marik confessed, "I wasn't allowed to play video games, or any games really, until my sister took my father's place as head of the family. The only thing we were actually encouraged to do besides study is place chess." She smiled at Bakura, much to his disdain. "It's strategic, right? My father was convinced that playing it would make us smarter."

"I suppose there's some truth to that." Bakura flicked a chess piece across the board and onto Marik's lap. "I didn't learn how to play until I was taken in by my guardian. I don't think it's the greatest thing ever, but playing it seemed to make Shadi happy."

"A-ha!" Marik jumped up suddenly with her outburst. "So Shadi was his name, eh?"

"Ra, damn it," Bakura cursed, gripping his forehead. "A few paces, if you will."

Marik sighed but made the necessary space between them until Bakura's pain faded away. "Happy?"

"No," Bakura answered, but it was only the truth. "Anyway, yes, he name was Shadi. There was no need to be so dramatic about it."

"And you said he was cursed as well, right?" Marik sat down on the floor in a cross-legged fashion and stared up at Bakura. "Did you guys share the same curse?"

Bakura gave Marik a look, and she was certain it was meant to be a skeptical one. "You don't know anything about curses, do you?"

Marik made the face she knew Bakura was trying to. "Do I look like an expert?"

"Fair enough." Bakura gazed down at the chessboard and began rearranging the pieces into their default positions. "Simply put," he explained, "the person who gives someone a curse does not know what it'll do to that person."

"You must be completely evil to curse someone blindly like that," Marik commented.

Bakura nodded. "Furthermore, the curse itself is the one that chooses your fate."

"The curse itself…"

"Yes. It chooses how to react on you after examining you as a person."

"So… Theoretically, if you were a good person that didn't deserve a curse, it could perhaps not affect you at all?"

"Unlikely. No one is going to curse you for no reason. You'll have had to do something wrong."

"I suppose…"

"Anyway, my curse is exactly as you know it. Shadi's affected him a much worse way, in my opinion."

"Worse than being emotionless or interceptive of other people's emotion?"

"I think so."

"Then… what was it?"

Bakura abandoned his task of positioning the chess pieces and looked directly at Marik, making her jump. He stated flatly, "He was cursed with mass-less-ness."

Marik blinked. "Mass…less…ness…"

"There's no real word for it, but in essence, like a ghost."

"So… he could walk through walls and stuff?"

"He most certainly could." Bakura added, "In fact, he did that a lot, rather unnecessarily, just to try to spook me."

"Did he?"

"No. Obviously, I'd sense his emotions long before he reached me. But it didn't stop him from trying."

"Why?"

"I never could quite figure that out myself. I assumed he was just lonely." Bakura shrugged. "Before he took me in, he lived all alone here."

"I see." Marik gazed pensively down at her shoes. "And… did being 'mass-less-ness' affect him any other ways?"

"Hmm… He couldn't eat." Bakura placed the last of the pieces back into position and pushed the board away. "He couldn't pick up anything either. He couldn't touch anything at all, like he was a hologram or something."

"Bizarre," Marik breathed, attempting to imagine what that would be like. But it was nearly impossible, and she gave up quickly. "Bakura," she began slowly, "I don't mean to be rude, but do you think maybe Shadi had been—"

"—using me?" Bakura picked up nonchalantly.

Marik bit her lip.

"He was. That was our agreement from the beginning. He would give me food, shelter, and occasional entertainment, and I would do all the things he couldn't." Bakura included, "Also, we made a promise to try to locate the person who cursed us and make them take back the curses."

"They can do that?"

"We weren't sure. It was worth a shot though."

"Did you ever get close to finding them?"

Bakura wanted to laugh at that. "No. It was pretty damn near impossible to walk around in public." His voice turned sourly sardonic. "How far do you think a mass-less being and a headache-due-to-emotion-prone kid could get in normal, everyday society?"

"Not very far, I'd imagine."

"Exactly."

"Hey, can I come back over there now?" Marik made a disagreeable expression. "Besides the fact that I'm a little lonely over here, I'm starting to get sort of tired of sitting on the floor."

Bakura looked at her warily. "All right. But try harder this time not to give me headaches."

Even knowing the context, that comment stung a little.

-transition-

Bakura's POV:

I, for the life of me, can't remember how old I was. Ten? Twelve? Whatever. It's not important anyway…

So, when I was of a certain age, I hadn't been living on my own too long. How long, you ask? Really, I can't provide a scale. I have almost no concept of time; let's get that established early.

Once and for all, I was young-ish and had not been alone very long-ish. Not eloquently put enough for you? Suck it up.

Back to subject, at that time, I had wandered pretty impressively far away from home. I don't know really here I had ended up, but it was outside of Domino for sure.

Yes, my direction skills aren't very state of the art either. Cry me a river.

_Anyway_—and that is the last time I will stray off topic—I was in this certain place at a certain time at a certain age.

… Yeah, that sounds about right.

In this place, I had heard rumors that there was some mysterious person floating through town with mystical powers of an ambiguous sort.

Of course, my young-ish head was immediately interested.

Oh, but I wasn't interested in a mundane fortune telling. If you're thinking that, you clearly don't know who I am. No, I had survived time on my own because of one thing and one thing alone:

My ability to steal nearly anything.

And it would be lying to say that I'm still not proud of my impressive record.

Yes, I condone stealing but not lying. Sue me.

What I wanted to steal from this "mysterious person", I can't recall. Something valuable most likely. So when I noticed the shiny relics the person carried, I knew I needed at least _one _of them.

I always did have a love of shiny things.

Quite easily, I pickpocketed one of the treasures off of them. I was disappointed though when I reached a far enough way away to examine it and realized it wasn't even real gold. At least, it didn't _feel _like real gold. It felt warm and malleable, almost like a human.

But I didn't have too much time to elaborate on this, because the bastard I had stolen it from caught up to me quick. It was almost as if they had known where I was going to go after their item went missing; I assumed that was due to their alleged "mystical powers."

"Thought you could get away with a Millennium Item that easily? You are foolish to think so."

Of course, to this, I didn't reply. My sarcastic quips were still in early development at that age, and it was also much more important for me to call it quits while I was ahead and make a run for it.

I didn't get very far though.

The bastard tripped me.

"You'll regret trying to steal from me!" the person had hissed in a most unpleasant tone and kneeled down on the ground to take my face in their hands.

And for the first and last time in my life, I felt true fear.

But before I could dwell on it, it was gone. It being my fear, along with every other emotion I possessed. It was like the person had reached into me, gathered up all my emotions, and locked them in a chest just out of my reach. I wanted to be scared, terrified even, but that, too, was beyond me.

I felt completely and absolutely nothing. And, against popular belief, nothing is not an emotion: It is a void. And a horrible one at that.

I don't know how long I lied there after the person left with their "Millennium Item." (Again, no concept of time.) But, in that time, I just kept trying to _feel _something. And by something, I didn't mean the ground or the cold or the pain from the scrap I had been inflicted upon being tripped. No, all of that I could understand and detect perfectly fine.

It was the emotions that I wanted to tap into. But that was impossible, I'm afraid, and the nothing inside me grew and grew with the passing time until I was sure it would swallow me whole.

However, then I felt it.

Sympathy.

I received it like a person who was being held underwater would receive oxygen—that being desperately, like it was my only lifeline. And even though it was faint at first, the pitying feeling became stronger and clearer with each approaching footstep. The emotion became so strong, in fact, that I almost thought it my own.

Rookie mistake.

"You poor boy." Shadi stood over me, shaking his head with an air of forlorn. "You chose to steal from the wrong person, my friend." Then he knelt beside me, just as the person who cursed me had, except he had only the best intentions at heart.

I would know. I could feel his empathy as clear as day.

"You're not alone," Shadi said as indifferently as someone would state the weather. As emphasis to this, his hand dropped down on my shoulder, but there was no warmth to it.

That was because the hand passed right through.

I'm sure I would have looked terrified had I been able to. When I realized my face wasn't going to convey this, I told Shadi, "That's creepy."

"I see," Shadi mumbled. It seemed he had reached an epiphany while experimenting with me. "The curse took your emotions, didn't it?"

Slowly, I nodded. After that, it was quiet for a while, Shadi and I staring at each other like the other was some form of intelligent life humans had only just stumbled upon.

And we might has well have been.

Finally, I whispered, "It's not fair." My own voice was unrecognizable, empty of all emotion like it had been painfully carved out of me. "It's not fair!" I yelled it for comparison, but it was still not sad nor angry nor any other number of emotions I'm sure I should have been feeling at that point.

"I know," Shadi agreed, another wave of sympathy hitting me intensely. "But there's nothing that can be done right now."

I wanted to cry. I think it was the only time in my time that I actually wanted to.

And yet, nothing.

Shadi stood up at that moment and looked back at me from over his shoulder. "Follow me," he commanded more than suggested, his own emotions seeping into his tone the way mine never could again.

Show off.

Despite me being young and foolish and lost all at once, I realized this was the only real person in the world who could understand what had happened to me. And if I missed the opportunity to go with him, there wouldn't be another.

So, shakily, I found my footing and fell behind Shadi like a shadow. At one point, I think I tried to take his hand, but my fingers detected nothing as I tried.

I was no longer alone but my only companion wasn't truly there.

Ironic, isn't it?

Also ironically, I began to trust Shadi more than I had ever trusted anyone, but only due to me being able to feel his genuineness through my curse.

My whole life is ironic, is it not?

And it stayed ironic as I grew up, all the way up until the day Shadi passed away.

(Get it? Passed away? Because he can pass through everything? Oh, boo you too. If I don't laugh, I'll cry. Though, I only mean that metaphorically…)

Anyway, I didn't know for sure Shadi planned to leave everything to me, but I thought he might. Besides the mansion and money to live off, I also inherited his mission to rid us of our curses—which became a solo mission sooner than I anticipated.

Therefore, I was left to fulfill the task all on my own.

That is, I _had_ been all on my own... until a certain annoying blonde kid decided to meddle in my life.

Honestly, I'm still not sure how to feel about it. And not just because I can't.

_Author's Note: Writing Bakura's POV is even more fun than I imagined. I might do it more often in the future… Woo!_

_Man, it's really hard not to give away who the person is that cursed Bakura and Shadi. Though, some of you might have already guessed…_

_Fun Fact: I have no idea how to play chess. Yeah. No idea._

_Hope you guys liked the chapter. Please review, if you feel so inclined. :3_


	7. What Would You Do Without Me?

_Author's Note: I really have nothing to say, so I won't hold you up._

Chapter 7

For a moment, Marik couldn't even remember what class she was in. History… Math… Science… Yes, it was definitely science! They were studying some bored monk who played around with plants and math equations. No wonder she had mistaken it for history or math; this met somewhere in between.

Deeper into Marik's defense, she was a little distracted. Somewhere, walking around in broad daylight, there was the person whom had cursed Bakura and his guardian. Marik wondered what they were doing right now… Drinking tea? Picking up their kids from school? Cursing more people? The latter was probably closest, but it still did not excuse the fact that the perpetrator was free while Bakura was forever punished for a crime he did not commit.

Well… Okay, so maybe he did commit it. Marik had finally gotten Bakura to tell her the whole story of how he had acquired the curse, and Marik's suspicions of him being guilty of some kind of misdeed had been confirmed. Regardless, Bakura had been of a "young-ish" age (in his exact words), and therefore, he should not have been penalized so harshly.

Right? Right.

Marik laid her head on her desk and closed her eyes. After a few minutes, she opened them back up, fully expecting nothing to have changed.

Such was not the case.

"That…! That _idiot_!"

Bakura, sitting on the roof across from outside the window of her science class, seemed to receive her shock and anger before even she did. He turned his attention from the ground below to Marik and waved to her in a way that was meant to be entirely sarcastic.

"Go away," Marik mouthed to Bakura, her fury seeping into her expression slowly.

Bakura was far enough away to ignore the emotion for the most part, and he shook his head childishly.

"Do it," Marik mouthed again.

Another shake of the head.

"Bakura."

Another shake.

"GO AWAY!"

"Miss Ishtar."

_Damn it. I said that last one out loud, didn't I? _Marik glanced up as innocently as she could and asked the teacher softly, "Yes?"

The science teacher was glaring at her over his prescription glasses but inquired rather calmly, "Would you perhaps like to take a moment outside to collect your thoughts?"

"Um… Yes." Marik gathered up her things (seeing how class was almost over) and walked out, avoiding eye contact with her curious fellow students.

As soon as the classroom door swung closed behind her, Marik slung her backpack over her shoulder and marched out of the building. Outside, she scanned the roof until she locked in on Bakura.

"Well, I hope you're happy with yourself!" Marik called up to Bakura, her nose still scrunched with anger. "You got me kicked out of Biology, you know!"

From his perch up atop the roof, Bakura sung back, "I would be happy if I could be." He prowled down to the very edge of the top of the building, hung his legs over the side, and peered down at Marik defiantly.

Marik growled slightly at his quip. After a moment though, she sighed and decided to give up on chastising him further. "How did you even get here anyway?" she questioned him tiredly.

Bakura pointed behind him and reported, "There's a ladder over there. It's not rocket science."

Marik clarified, "I'm not asking about how you got on the roof, Bakura. I'm asking how you got _here._"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I had simply assumed that you've been in a health class—"

"School! How the hell did you get to my school?" Marik lost her patience, but with Bakura being so impudent, how could she not?

"Your school? I took Shadi's car, obviously."

"Oh… Well… Go away."

Bakura blinked a couple times, as if Marik had suddenly started speaking in another language. After a moment of silence, the boy turned around, disappeared, and then reappeared on the ground, having climbed the ladder on the other side of he building. He sauntered up to Marik and took her head in his hands. Before she could react, he then pressed his forehead to hers, making Marik's face raise about four hundred degrees.

"Wha-wha-what are you doing?" Marik stuttered, trying but failing to squirm out of Bakura's grasp.

"Shush," Bakura hissed, not moving an inch. "I'm trying to concentrate. Uh-huh… Uh-huh… _Uh-huh_…" he mumbled, sounding much like a doctor diagnosing a problem. "Yes, I thought that was it. So I wasn't mistaken after all."

"Do you mind telling me what the hell you're doing?" Marik was doing her very best to keep the panic out of her voice, but judging by the fact that Bakura was as shaky as she was, she could guess it was most likely in vain.

Only after what seemed like an eternity did Bakura remove his forehead from hers to sigh. "As I thought, as I thought… I didn't want to believe it when I felt it, but now I know that it is certainly the truth." Coldly, Bakura glowered at Marik (which would have been intimidating had he not still been shaking as badly as Marik) and announced, "You clearly felt contempt for me when you told me to 'go away.'"

"I didn't—!"

"Oh, but you did. You absolutely cannot fool my curse." Bakura turned his face away from Marik and raised his voice slightly as he described, "I'd be so hurt right now if I actually could be. My nonexistent feelings are crushed. You obviously don't want me to bother you while you're at school."

"I-I never said that!"

"You told me to 'go away,' did you not?" Bakura was looking as confused as Marik, but he undoubtedly had a method in all the ridiculousness he was saying. "I guess you really don't like me. Or maybe… Yes, maybe you are ashamed of me."

"But..."

"No. Don't speak." Bakura pushed his finger to Marik's lips, her face raising another few degrees at the gesture. "You'll only damage my nonexistent feelings even further—which, quite honestly, wouldn't do anything, because they don't exist. But you get the point."

Marik reached up and pulled Bakura's hand away from her face. She was fuming now again and was vaguely surprised Bakura wasn't claiming a headache. All the same, she barked, "Listen here, Bakura. So, yeah, maybe you're right in that I don't think it's smart for you to come find me at school. But it's not that I resent you! It's because I think you're going to get stranded in a crowd of people and get overwhelmed." Marik's tone lowered substantially, whispering the next part: "So, please, don't come find me at school. I'm afraid you'll get trapped. And what will I be able to do? Probably nothing if you really screw up. Do you understand, Bakura?"

Bakura contemplated this, staring at Marik for a long time. Then, slowly, he edged closer and closer to her until, without warning, he pulled her into a hug.

The blush in Marik's face was back. "Wha-wha-wha—?"

"Shush," Bakura said again, and he placed his forehead on Marik's neck. "Uh-huh… Yes… Yes, that _is _what I think it is."

"What is it now?"

"It's concern." Bakura lifted his eye back up to meet her gaze and graced her with what would have been a wicked grin had he not been intercepting Marik's puzzlement. "Real, true, honest-to-goodness concern. Oh, it's a wonderful emotion. Then, you really must not harbor any contempt for me."

"That's what I've been saying the entire time, isn't i—?"

"I'm so touched." Bakura squeezed the Ishtar, and this hug was a more typical one and less of a "I'm-trying-to-analyze-the-emotion-you're-feeling" one.

Marik squirmed, attempting to wriggle away. But it was only done half-heartedly, as the hug from Bakura was kind of nice, even if it was under confusing circumstances. Still, she mumbled, "Why are you hugging me again?"

"The concern you're giving off is overwhelming; I'm afraid it cannot be helped."

Marik pouted at this, secretly disappointed that the curse appeared to be the only factor in this spontaneous act of affection.

Bakura added suddenly, "Although… You're not… _un_comfortable."

It took Marik a moment to realize that he was trying to compliment her, but when she did, she deadpanned rather harshly, "Are you sure you're not just saying this because you're enjoying this 'concern' feeling a little too much?"

Bakura promptly let go, and Marik had to sway a bit back and forth to regain her balance. "You'll never know," he chimed, not lapping up Marik's "concern" any longer.

Marik missed the warmth of the hug immediately, but she did everything possible to display the opposite. "Well… I didn't even want to know. So go away now."

Bakura raised an eyebrow at this, but the bizarre emotion radiating from her could not be further investigated due to a school bell ringing in the distance.

Marik flinched at it (making Bakura as well) and cursed under her breath. "See, Bakura? This is exactly why you shouldn't come to my school."

"They're just depraved teenagers, not cops. Let's not go crazy now."

"Do you understand nothing?" Marik snapped, pushing Bakura away from the school's general direction. "What are you doing? Come on, Bakura! You have to leave!"

Bakura, not at all helping Marik and instead wearing his shoes into the concrete to slow her progress, glanced back at her and bartered, "Sure, I'll go. But will you come visit me after school?"

"Yes! I promise! Just _go_!"

As soon as Marik agreed, Bakura lifted his feet and strolled away in the course she had been pushing him. "After school!" he called behind him, his voice losing emotion the farther he strayed from Marik. "You'll remember?"

Marik sighed, shaking her head at Bakura as he receded into the distance. _I have a feeling he is walking as slow as possible just to get on my nerves, _she thought grudgingly, warily gazing around at the students as they filled the school courtyard around her.

"Hey, who was that?"

Marik squeaked and then glared at the right hand that had dropped on her shoulder. "Just… Just Ryou," she excused smartly. Considering how alike they looked, Marik figured Melvin would buy it.

The other twin narrowed his eyes, examining Bakura as he continued to traverse to the school parking lot. "Oh… Oh, yeah. Jeez, you think I would have recognized him." He grinned broadly at Marik. "I mean, how many people honestly look like that?"

"Not many," Marik muttered, releasing a breath she had not realized she had been holding.

"By the way," Melvin transitioned, "I have some bad news."

"How bad are we talking about here?"

Melvin grew solemn, which answered her question fully. "Odion called and told me Ishizu would be back today," he informed gravely.

"Today? Did he say a time?"

Cautiously, Melvin responded, "No, which means she could already be back right now."

"There's…" Marik swallowed. "There's no point worrying about what we don't know." She fiddled with a strand of her blonde hair. "Let's just get back to class already. We can deal with problems as they arise."

"If you say so," he replied, getting a head start back.

-transition-

Marik's POV:

When Ishizu returns from a trip, our home is very quiet. She usually has terrible headaches due to overuse of magic ability; therefore, she retires straight away into her bedroom and lies down with an ice pack across her forehead.

"Couldn't find a single thing." Ishizu was ransacking her suitcase as she said this, and she searched rather blindly because of the ice pack over her eyes. Her hand bumbled about in the bag without any dexterity, and she had little success. "Such a pain. The Ring had me walking in circles every day."

"That must have been so hard for you," I told her softly. My comment was not genuine in the least, but by now, I knew what she wanted to hear.

"Yes, well, I hope you appreciate all these pains I go through for you. Without me, you wouldn't be any closer to leading the clan, and I—Ah-ha!" Ishizu had found the painkillers, evidently, and speedily swallowed a couple of them. That quieted her for a few moments. Then, she nestled herself into her bed and closed her eyes under the ice pack. "Honestly though," she hissed sharply, "what would you do without me?"

"I don't know, Ishizu," I replied. This one wasn't a complete lie, actually. I didn't really know what I would do. I'd be too happy to think for a while, after all.

Ishizu instantly chastised, "Marik, _please. _Don't you remember what I said? You don't not know. You simply—"

"—don't want to remember. Yes, Ishizu, I got it." I could not help but finish her sentence for her. I knew that doing so would get me on her bad side quickly, but my temper did not want to cooperate with my logic.

Ishizu stirred slightly, her lips thinning into a thoroughly unamused line. "I see… Well, if you want to talk so badly, how about you tell me about what you have been up to since I've been gone, hmm?"

"Uh…" _Smooth, Marik. _"Just… school. And I've been… going places lately." _Wow, I'm an idiot._

"Going places?" My sister's curiosity had been piqued, and I spied her eyebrows raise acutely. "Where to, pray tell?"

"My friend Ryou's place," I lied. I had luckily answered fast enough and yet slow enough not to raise suspicion.

"Ryou… huh?"

"Yeah. You've met him once I believe," I informed her matter-of-factly. "You know… He's the white-haired one with the accent."

"White-haired… Accent… Oh, the foreign one. Yes, that's right." Ishizu rolled on her side, meaning she had to manually hold the ice pack to her head now. "His appearance brings up a… a terrible memory."

"Really?" I should have dropped the subject, but I stupidly persisted. "What kind of memory?"

Ishizu lifted the ice pack up, the full power of her glare hitting me like a slap to the face.

_I knew it. Wrong move._

"Don't make me remember such dreadful things," she ordered. Dropping the ice pack again, Ishizu gestured to the door. "I need my rest. Leave me, Marik."

"Yes, Sister." I hoped adding "sister" might cushion me asking her unpleasant questions. It seemed to. I watched the tension leave her body. But it could have been her simply falling asleep…

Nonetheless, I crept out of her room and closed the door daintily behind me.

"She asleep?" Melvin was leaning against the wall a few doors down. He had been hiding from Ishizu the entire time, because Ishizu doesn't like to see him at all, let alone on a day she has a headache.

"I think so." I shook my head, a headache of my own lingering on the edges of my mind. "She didn't talk to me nearly as long as she usually does. She is probably really tired."

"Good," Melvin scoffed. "Searching for more Millennium Items in this region is pointless. She goes on fool's errands and then expects _us _to cater to her every whim?"

"Mostly me," I corrected, brushing past him to make my way down the hallway.

"Well… Still!"

I rolled my eyes and picked up my backpack from beside the door. This made Melvin apprehensive (for good reason), and he inquired, "You're leaving? Are you insane? You know Ishizu is going to be pissed if she wakes up and finds you're not here!"

"She's not going to wake up," I assured, smirking impishly. "I swapped her painkillers with sleeping pills when she threw her stuff at me earlier."

Melvin blinked, registering this. "Oh… Good call."

"Yep." I tossed my backpack over my shoulder and announced, "Well, I'm off." I then instructed carefully, "If for some odd reason Ishizu does wake up, stay out of her sight. Promise?"

"Yeah, yeah," Melvin grumbled, slinking away. I hoped he really had heard me, because an Ishizu with a headache, no knowledge of where I am, and Melvin all coming together would be an absolute disaster. I would sooner want to survive through an apocalypse, and I think Melvin, despite his casualness, was truly aware of that.

_Author's Note: Whelp, there you have it. Thanks for sticking with the story. Have a good week, and please review if you get the chance._


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